Cutting tools are widely used to perform many different functions. For example, cutting tools are used to cut hair, clothing, electrical wire, paper, flowers, tree branches, wood products, metal products, carpeting, food, etc.
In order to increase cutting performance, the cutting tool art has become highly specialized so that a different type of cutting tool may be used to best perform each of the aforementioned cutting operations. More particularly, a standard garden shears may be used to cut tree branches, prune plants or cut flowers. A scissor may be used for ordinary paper cutting operations while scissors having a more precision-type blade may be used to cut hair or clothing. High powered bolt cutters may be used to cut metal products while singled-edged utility knives may be used by contractors for various trimming operations.
Notwithstanding the wide variety of cutting tools that are available in the commercial marketplace, a need has existed for a cutting tool which can be used to cut shims flush against various object from which the shims initially protrude, such as doors, windows, kitchen cabinets, vanities, staircases, skylights, sheetrock walls, plaster walls, dishwashers, tub enclosures, shower stalls, filing cabinets, desks, refrigerators, counter tops, and the like. In this regard, a need has existed to cut shims flush against objects such as a window jamb or a door jamb after a window or door is installed and made level and plumb.
In a typical scenario, a window is installed into a frame, which may comprise a rectangular arrangement of two by fours. Tapered shims which may between nine inches and sixteen inches long and approximately one and a half inches wide are then placed between the window assembly and the frame so that the window can be made "true" (i.e., level and plumb). To accomplish this, the shims are generally placed in one or both of the bottom corners of the window assemblies. Shims are also usually placed between the sides of the window assembly and the frame to prevent warping or bowing of the window jamb over a period of time. After the shimming operation is completed, the window assembly may be tack-nailed by nailing through the window jamb into the shims and into the two by four frame. Since the window jamb is typically only about four and a half inches wide, the longer shims are left protruding therefrom. The shims then need to be cut flush with the window jamb so that a pleasing aesthetic final trim may be installed to cover the opening between the window jamb and sheetrock arranged adjacent to the window jamb.
Prior to the present invention, window installers performed such flush cutting by using a saw or utility knife. The saw would be used to cut the shims flush with the jamb. Similarly, a utility knife could be used to continuously score the shims at a location adjacent to the associated window jamb until the shim had been sufficiently weakened at which time it would be broken off along the score lines.
The aforementioned prior art methods of cutting shims flush with window jambs is not particularly desirable because it is time consuming and inefficient.
The present invention addresses the problem of obtaining flush cut shims with respect to associated window jambs by providing a new cutting tool which is adapted to quickly and accurately cut shims flush with an associated window jamb.